Consequences
by Boho-Indie Queen
Summary: One-shot. There are consequences when one does something they shouldn't. Dionysus learns this the hard way when he goes after an off-limits nymph. As he's basically banished for the next hundred years, the only thing worse than being away from Olympus is being away from his wife. Dionysus x Ariadne


**A/N: Hey, guys. I got this idea when I was writing chapter two of **_**Unwanted Memories**_**. Dionysus x Ariadne is one of my favorite couples from mythology and in PJO when it is shortly mentioned. And I'm sorry for not updating my other stories…but I'm working on them, I swear. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: PJO is not mine.**

Consequences

He hung his head in shame, unable to look his father in the eye. It was the summer solstice, and all the other Olympians were gathered in the throne room. Each deity eyed him with pity, amusement, or indifference. With each withering gaze, he wanted nothing more than to sink into his grape vine throne and disappear into oblivion. However, no stare could compare to the one he was receiving from his father. Zeus's glare seemed to penetrate so deeply into him, he felt as if jolts of lightning were coursing through his nerves. When the king spoke, on the other hand, his voice was steadily calm, cool, and collected.

_The calm before the storm_, he supposed.

"Dionysus, my son," Zeus spoke clearly, pronouncing each syllable carefully, "may I ask why you so carelessly disobeyed my direct order of staying away from that nymph?"

The wine god swallowed hard and looked at the faces of his family, though did not meet any of their eyes. His expression soured when he noticed a pleased smirk grace Hera's lips. She was always flushed with merry when Zeus reprimanded one of his bastard children. The only face he found comfort in was his uncle, Poseidon, who appeared to be trying to curl his lips in reassurance. A small part of him was wishing for Hestia to be there, as she was one of the few who could halt the rage of any god.

"Dionysus," his father called much louder.

He straightened as much as he could and spoke with as much courage as he could muster, "At the time of this, erm…encounter—" his ears twitched at the quiet snickers of his brothers, minus Hephaestus—"I had no knowledge of her status."

It was silent a moment before he quickly added, "And I do regret my rashness and stupidity."

Zeus's glare softened and his eyes drifted off in contemplation. With a heavy sigh, he said, "I can sense your honesty, son."

Dionysus's heart was elated at the news, but he quickly deflated when his father continued, "But, there still must be punishment due to disobeying my direct orders."—Zeus glanced around the room—"Does anyone have any ideas for his punishment should be?"

The youngest deity's eyes became as wide and fearful as a fawn's when he heard some of the suggestions Ares and Hera shared. Some were more merciful and offered less torturous tasks as means of punishment. However, these did not calm Dionysus's nerves in the slightest.

At last Athena, being the oh-so-wise goddess that she was, interjected, "What if he were to watch over Camp Half-Blood, and ensure the safety of our children?"

Dionysus uttered a choked "What?" as the others in the assembly talked amongst themselves. He snapped his attention towards his father who looked to be thinking this ludicrous notion rather thoughtfully. The wine god shook his head vigorously in disbelief and sent an earnestly pleading look his father's way. His stepmother's triumphant smirk grew into a cruel grin.

When it felt as if Dionysus's heart was going to burst through his chest, his father raised his hand for silence and announced, "Dionysus, god of wine, son of Zeus, shall hence forth be the camp director of Camp Half-Blood for the next one hundred years and, during the duration of this sentence, will not be allowed to consume alcohol of any kind."

And just like that, the meeting was over. Everyone else shuffled out as they always had, but Dionysus was stuck on his throne, frozen like a statue. His countenance was one of melancholy shock and his body rigid. Within a matter of moments, it was just him. Mindlessly, he stood mechanically and shuffled, feeling defeated, out of the throne room.

His movements were languid as he walked through the long corridors. He had chosen to save himself from embarrassment and had gone the long way to the temple that was his and Ariadne's abode. At the thought of his beautiful wife, a sudden shock went through him and he had to brace himself against one of the pillars. He had not the slightest of clues how he was going to tell her of his temporary banishment. A vision of tears running violently down her face entered his mind and he ground his teeth. He despised seeing her anything but happy. He swallowed down the scream that was simply pleading to be released and proceeded to stroll sluggishly home.

As the white marble of his home came into view, heaviness settled in the pit of his stomach and his chest tightened. Guilt crawled its way to the soles of his feet and nestled there, making him feel as if he was walking with lead in his shoes. His heart thumped erratically and small beads of sweat made their way down the back of his neck.

He stopped short when he saw Ariadne attending some of the flowers in her small garden. Her back was to him, to which he was thankful for at that moment, so he could only see her long, chestnut curls cascading down her back. Wordlessly, he came up behind her, put his arms around her waist, and rested his forehead against her shoulder. She gasped at the sudden contact, but then chuckled softly.

"Oh, it is you, love. I wish—" she began to chide him lightly before faltering as she felt him shake against her and heard his quiet sobs. She quickly turned in his arms and cupped his cheeks in her hands, forcing him to look at her, though his eyes drifted elsewhere. "What is it, love?"

His lips quivered, but he did not answer. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her emerald orbs looking at him with worry and her porcelain face contorted into one of uneasiness. He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She ran her fingers over his spine soothingly. At last, he told her of the meeting. Her comforting motions halted almost immediately and she became almost listless. She knew of the nymph, and had forgiven him almost instantaneously as he honestly poured his heart out about how absolutely sorry he was. She only wished his family could be as forgiving. He pulled away from her embrace to look at her and almost rued his decision as he saw the small streams of tears running down her face. He brushed them away with his thumbs.

He pressed his forehead to hers and murmured, "I am so, so sorry."

She gave him a weak smile. "It is alright, love. The fault was not yours."

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss. The heaviness in his chest was becoming a black hole of loneliness and despair as he thought of the hundred years of torture he would endure without her.

**A/N: And there you have it. Did you guys like it? I always thought Ariadne would be much kinder and forgiving of a wife seeing as Dionysus rarely ever has affairs…so, yeah. And if you haven't already, please check out my poll. Thanks. Ciao! **


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